Game Theory
by lanthir1
Summary: He’s a true genius with some of the highest security clearances in the NSA and FBI. What will Rodney McKay say the day he meets his intellectual rival? Is there new meaning to being Fleinhardtish? Charlie Eppes is about to find out.
1. Welcome to Pegasus

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Stargate Atlantis. I also do not own anything Numb3rs related. **

**A/N- Please review! And yes it's another crossover but I haven't found one with Numb3rs so I'm experimenting. I'm not so sure of this but my brother said to put it up anyways. Please tell me if I have the characters wrong.**

**Spoilers: Mind Games for Numb3rs. None for SGA.**

**Summary: He's a true genius with some of the highest security clearances in the NSA and FBI. What will Rodney McKay say the day he meets his intellectual rival? Is there new meaning to being Fleinhardt-ish? Charlie Eppes is about to find out.**

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Samuel Kraft. That name had been running through his head for months now. In the end it was meeting Samuel Kraft that had led him here. The crazy psychic wannabe had led him to almost not consulting with anyone anymore. Kraft was a liar. He had proved that, hadn't he? They all had fallen into Kraft's trap, even Megan, his original ally. 

Sighing, he took a look around at the sunlit room. It was interesting to say the least. Then again, he was standing in an alien city, on another planet, in another galaxy. Charlie was frustrated, mad at his brother, sick from Kraft getting the endorsement, and disturbed that the 'psychic' would try his perfect lying skills again.

"Larry would love this." His best friend was a huge fan of the extraterrestrial and paranormal. Only he could compare a child to a black hole. Larry Fleinhardt was also the one person who tried to keep Charlie researching rather than going off to consult on some new defense tactic or crime. Unfortunately, that would never work; he loved helping his brother solve crimes, until that psychic came along. Putting those thoughts aside he turned back to numbers, the one friend who never abandoned him. How far could a paper airplane fly off the control room balcony?

101010

Elizabeth stared at the young man standing in her office. She had been surprised when he had stepped off the Daedalus. Honestly, she didn't really know what to do with him and that was why she had asked to speak with him after the debriefing with SGA-4.

Charlie Eppes's file was fascinating. He had very, very high security clearances. His brain had been put to work mathematically solving crimes with the FBI. He had also worked on classified projects for the NSA. There was rumor of the CIA, though not yet established as fact. Atlantis was just yet another security clearance to add to the mystery that was Charlie Eppes, math genius extraordinaire. Just how did he end up here?

"Dr. Eppes." He didn't respond. His mind was elsewhere.

"Dr. Eppes," she repeated.

"Huh? What?"

"Dr. Eppes …"

"No. Please; call me Charlie. No one calls me Dr. Eppes."

"Fine, Charlie it is then."

He smiled. This place might not be so bad after all. There might even be time to work on his Cognitive Emergence Theory.

"You said you needed to see me. How can I help you?" He asked.

" First things first, how did you end up here?"

He didn't respond, again.

"Charlie?"

"Did you know that statistically you should be dead?"

"Oh."

"I ran the numbers eight times. All of you should be dead a minimum three times each. The probability of anyone surviving Atlantis is highly not in their favor. Not to mention, the angles in the control room appear to run between 30 and 90."

"Uh huh, I see."

"You look as clueless as Don."

Elizabeth turned hearing footsteps. Saved by the bell, it was Rodney. Figuring Charlie out would have to wait.

"Elizabeth, there's something you should take a look at… Wait. Is that who I think it is?"

"That depends on who you think I am." Charlie quipped.

"Rodney McKay, meet Charlie Eppes. Charlie, this is Rodney."

"Hold on a sec. You're Charlie Eppes?"

"So I'm told. And you're Rodney McKay?"

"Gentlemen, I think I'll leave you two alone. And Rodney, find a place for him, somewhere." With that, Elizabeth Weir left McKay to take care of Atlantis' newest expedition member.

"So you're a 'universalist'? That must come in handy." It was really more of a statement than a question.

"It did for my brother, until recently. And to think that they all believed that pathological liar," Charlie alleged.

"Exactly. I know how you feel. People don't listen; think they know better. It can be so frustrating."

"You just might be the smartest person I've met in a long time."

"Well, you know, that's just the way I am. It can be difficult trying to herd a group of inadequate know-it-alls. Zelenka shows _some_ promise."

"I'd hate to be him."

Charlie and McKay's stomachs both grumbled at the same time. Neither had eaten since breakfast.

"Maybe I could show you the mess hall."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

101010101010

The journey to the mess hall was relatively quiet. Charlie was a newbie to Pegasus, that much everyone knew. However, unlike other new scientists coming to Atlantis, Charlie had already been shot at, seen plenty of dead bodies in various states, threatened by the Russian mob, knew how to load and shoot a gun, and knew most importantly about personal loss. As a newbie, he couldn't help but feel everyone's eyes on him, telling him he had yet to learn some of those very same lessons.

Rodney, in the mean time, kept staring at his companion. Walking with him was truly one of academia's brightest minds. Charlie was Applied Mathematics' poster boy and the only person Rodney would ever come close to claiming as being as intelligent as him. That point would be almost unarguable.

"Here we are, the mess hall. Expect the unexpected and take a risk at eating."

"It can't be any worse than Larry's diet," Charlie muttered.

McKay dubiously pointed out which foods he should eat and those that should clearly be left or else. On one particular purple object that resembled a liquefied pear, Charlie had been warned that it was edible though known for causing diarrhea, for which the infirmary had been overrun with lately. He further explained to Charlie that it was the general consensus of most everyone that it was the cooking crew's revenge for the theft of the last case of Chips Ahoy! cookies prior to the return of the Daedalus. It was a theft that remained unsolved. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Charlie came up with the strange image of his brother investigating a large-scale cookie bank theft.

Rodney led Charlie to an empty table in a back corner out of the way. He had the odd sensation that Charlie would rather not be answering a lot of questions about home. The idea didn't work out; they were quickly joined by two of his teammates and one medical-voodoo practicing Dr. Beckett.

"Got you a new follower McKay?" Sheppard teased.

"No. He's more sophisticated than that. I like to think of him as being more your mental savior." Sarcasm filled McKay's voice.

"Passing along a lost cause then?" Sheppard retorted.

"No. I just thought it would be easier to pass it to someone with my equal intelligence. I have more important things to do."

Beckett choked. Teyla stayed composed. McKay smirked. Charlie had no idea what they were talking about. Sheppard grinned.

"So just who is my mental savior?"

"Charlie this is Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, our resident head of military and kamikaze-wannabe pilot. That's Teyla Emmagen, the Pegasus galaxy's version of wonder woman. And of course we can't forget the lamb slaughtering, medical voodoo practicing, head of the infirmary, clucking mother hen, Dr. Carson Beckett. Everyone else, this Dr. Charlie Eppes, math genius whiz kid."

"And king of bad spellers." Charlie added.

"Ye don't say. Well, nice to meet ya lad." Beckett offered his hand.

"It is an honor to meet you Dr. Eppes," said Teyla.

"Call me Charlie, please."

"Great to meet you. Now what exactly do you do?" Sheppard asked.

"That's a complex question with many variables. It might help if you specify." Charlie grinned. He knew he was being a smartass.

"Ok, what is your job?"

"Usually I teach applied mathematics at CalSci. In the past I have worked as a consultant to the FBI."

"Really? Doing what?"

"Solving crimes with math."

"And how do ye do that?" Carson asked.

"Simple. We all use math everyday whether we realize it or not. I just use it in more unusual ways. For example, I did a case not too long ago with my brother concerning the murder of three women who crossed the border illegally. Now you see a fourth woman went missing. In order to try and limit the area we had to search I used the Fokker-Planck Equation."

The three newcomers all stared at him blankly. None of them understood. It was just another day in his world.

"Imagine that you're a deer looking for a good place to live. Now there are several factors that are needed in order to survive such as water and food. There are also things you want to avoid like hunters, bears, wolves, maybe even a cliff or two. Are you with me?"

"Sort of." conceded Sheppard.

"Anyways, in Fokker-Planck you have external forces, viscous forces, and random 'noise' that all contribute to the problem. Back to the deer, your positive external force is a good water source and lots of vegetation. The negative external forces are your predators. The viscous force is perhaps having trouble trying cross a river or finding the right way down a mountain. That leaves random 'noise', which in this case would the random moving about, that the deer does. These things all contribute to where the deer will try to live."

"Okay ye little bugger. Now how did it solve the case?" asked Carson.

"Yes, please explain. I am curious how you do this." Teyla furthered.

"I'm getting to that. Now in this case it was necessary to assign similar things to the migrants. The positive external forces I assigned to their journey were the attraction of farms that give employment and a place to live. The negative force is the border patrols, which they all want to avoid. Having to cross difficult terrain and fatigue was given as our viscous forces. Once again, the random 'noise' was the random wandering or moving about. I assigned numerical values to different places based on opportunity or quantity and then divided those places on a map into different zones. Based on what was in those zones, we eliminated all but one. The left over zone on the map was the one my brother's team searched and successfully found our missing woman."

"So, do think we could use this to track the Wraith?" John questioned.

"I don't know. You're talking on a very large scale. I would need locations of Wraith ships, the populations of their 'feeding grounds' and of the Wraith themselves, location of inhabited worlds, distances between points. We're also looking at speed of movement and patterns in their behavior if they have any. In the end, it would take Game Theory, Social Network Theory, maybe Flock Theory, and a whole lot of others just off the top of my head. With the right information, I might even be able to predict a culling using the basic premises of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Colonel, being able to significantly track the Wraith would take a lot of reconnaissance and the probability of succeeding is extremely small and minute but I don't think it's completely impossible."

"Well doesn't that sound like a fun project?" Rodney replied. He understood the math involved and it seem farfetched but like Charlie said: it's not completely impossible.

"So it's possible, just not very likely." Sheppard assured himself.

"Yes."

"If you could do this, it would be of great help to everyone." Said Teyla not too overconfident since Charlie himself wasn't sure.

"Are ye bloody insane Charlie? Maybe I should drag ye down to the infirmary myself and check that head of yours."

"Maybe I am. I'll have to be in the field. It's not like I haven't done that before. But I think I know what to do now. I can do it. It'll just take time."

With that lunch ended. Sheppard snatched Charlie and dragged him out the door. This could be the breakthrough they had been looking for and there was a lot of work to do. In their own thoughts, both Sheppard and Charlie agreed they would beg to be able to track the Wraith. Elizabeth had to consent to this.

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Reviews more than welcome_

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	2. Home Sweet Home or Not

**Disclaimer: I don't own either Numb3rs or Stargate Atlantis.**

_**A/N- I should have clarified myself in the first chapter. I haven't found a Numb3rs/SGA crossover on this site. There are actually two others out there that I did find, The Lost Colony by Joolz and Classified by Dira Sudis. Don is in this chappie. I figure he and Charlie go hand-in-hand. It just isn't Num3rs without both of them.  
**_

Elizabeth stared at John and Charlie each respectively. They both kept babbling on, finishing each other's sentences about how much good their new idea of tracking the Wraith would be.

"We could be saving lives!" Sheppard shouted.

"Lot and lots of lives! Think of how many people…" Charlie added.

"People that could live to old age naturally rather than becoming some mummy husk."

"Alright, I get it. But how do you plan on actually doing this?" She asked.

"We're still thinking about that. But I should come up with a plan…soon." Charlie replied.

"Still thinking about it? So over lunch you and Colonel Sheppard come up with this brilliant plan of tracking the Wraith which you are now proposing to me without any clue of how to do it."

"Sounds about right. But Charlie said it could be done so I think we should do it."

"And what exactly are the chances of us succeeding in this?"

"I can already tell you the numbers were never in our favor. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. It's possible with a lot of time and effort. We can do this."

"Alright. You have a go. But I want a plan on my desk ASAP."

"We can do that." Sheppard and Charlie said at the same time.

"Now, I think you two have a Wraith tracking plan to get started on and I have reports to finish before the next data exchange. I'll arrange for Rodney to give you space to work Charlie. Both of you, make this work, and we'll all be indebted for a very long time."

"We will. I can do it. Just give me time."

"He's right. There's enough brains between the two of us." Sheppard smiled waiting for a reply.

"But I suppose I have the greater percentage of brains."

"Touché my dear Charles."

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I have to get back to work."

"I think that's our cue to leave."

"I don't have hypersensitive hearing Shep." Charlie responded to the whispering voice in his ear.

"Let's go before we over stay our welcome. Nice talkin' Elizabeth."

Lt. Col. John Sheppard and Dr. Charlie Eppes walked out the door. They were excitable together. Each had played off of the other in the proposal. It was a long shot but she was going to give it a heads up. Who knew, it could work. Elizabeth took another look at the talking duo currently jogging away from her office. She shook her head.

"Why do I feel like those two plus Rodney are going to be giving me bigger headaches?"

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"So now that we are partners in crime, mind if I give you the grand tour?"

"Lead on."

"Don't mind if I do. So, what makes you qualify to come to Pegasus besides the fact that you obviously are a super geek?"

"More than you know."

"How so?"

"I have a higher overall security clearance than any of the other scientists here."

"Because of your work with the FBI?"

"No, more because of my work with the NSA and CDC."

"NSA and CDC?"

"Yes and if I told you I would have to kill you. It's all above your head anyways."

Sheppard went quiet. Still, curiosity gleamed in his eyes. He chose to place Charlie in the "my geek" file in the never-ending John Sheppard filing cabinet. Currently, that file included a meager three names: Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka, and now Charlie Eppes. All other geeks and nerds A.K.A. scientists on Atlantis were classified as "geeks warranting protection as part of job." Kavanaugh had his own file labeled simply "other" and so help John should he ever see that whiny almost Wraith-like face again. It was going to be fun working with his new geek. Yes, Charlie belonged to him and he was going to make it clear that any military personnel borrowing said geek would return borrowed geek or else. He looked up to see his new geek frozen in place.

"Charlie? Something wrong?"

"Do we have chalkboards or at least whiteboards? I work better with them or else you'll be seeing equations all over the windows."

"I can arrange it. Anything else you need?"

"Yeah. You remind me of my brother."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Don was my rock back home. I left to prove that I really could be independent and I know I can. It's just…"

"Go on."

"I have a tendency to get lost in the numbers."

"Everyone here, especially the scientists, have a tendency to lose themselves in their work. It's part of who we are." John spoke seriously placing a reassuring hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"That's the norm here. Atlantis is unusual. But we make it."

"P vs. NP. I get lost in it."

"Isn't that one of the Millennium problems? It's considered unsolvable. What are you getting at Charlie?"

"I can get really into my work and be so focused that I seem lost. But lost…for me anyways…is really serious."

"How serious?"

"I withdraw. I don't eat. I don't sleep. I just work on an unsolvable equation night and day. It can go on for a long time, months even. Someone…someone has to pull me out. It can take a group effort but it has to be done."

"Don't worry, I got your back. If not me, Beckett is always a willing mother hen. I'll tell him to have a haldol needle with your name on it."

Charlie smiled seeing the playful grin on Sheppard's face. Everything was going to be okay here. Yes, he was going to be okay and prove once and for all that Charlie Eppes was independent and could find work elsewhere, in a very far away elsewhere.

"Yep. You're just like Don."

"So what is you're brother Don like?"

"He's an FBI agent."

"Really?"

"He has his own team in Los Angeles. Don had me consult with him on a lot of his cases. There was this one case involving a high stakes bank robbery…"

"I'm listening."

"Anyways…"

The pair walked aimlessly through the halls. Each listening and telling stories with the other about life back home and here.

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_Meanwhile in Los Angeles:_

Special Agent Don Eppes stared at his computer screen. Nothing. It was yet another dead-end in his latest case. A serial killer beheading military personnel was on the loose and posting the video of the killings on different websites. So far, the FBI computer techs had come up with nothing. He could really use Charlie right now. Charlie, that was another mystery to be dealt with. He had disappeared over six weeks ago. No note, goodbye, or any clue where he was. Don was at a loss in his search for his brother. All he had turned up was that Charlie had gone gallivanting with the USAF.

"Hey. Any luck?" Don knew Megan was implying his brother more than the case. The whole team knew the case was going almost nowhere.

"No. Last tip on the case came up nothing. And Charlie, if only he knew how worried everyone is. He told no one where he was going. Dad's frantic. And you know well enough how Larry is."

"Don't worry. Things will work out."

"Thanks Megan. I just don't get how he disappeared like that. It's like he's been planning this for months. He started acting a little funny after the Kraft incident. I have this feeling that something has been off."

"Yeah. It seemed like he was trying to track Kraft and prove him absolutely wrong. Charlie was offended when we gave the endorsement. Larry said something about him continuing his search after we closed the case. Do you think he would use his clearance for something so trivial?"

"Not normally, but in that case, yeah. If he did, what did he find? So far I got nothin'. Maybe Samuel Kraft is the key. He was part of a CIA psychic program. What was it called again?"

"Star Gate. They were trying to train psychics to spy using ESP. The program was shut down. There just weren't enough results to keep paying for such a high price program. Charlie thought it was all a great hoax and a big waste of taxpayer money."

"Star Gate. I think I'll start there and see where it goes with the Air Force. He made connections somehow. I've got to find him."

"What are you going to do if you find him?"

"Beg him to come home. Tell him that people are dying. This guy is killing more and more. So far we got 12 dead and with these patterns, another tape should be showing up in five hours. Charlie can't say no and if he finds out what Dad has been doing, he'll come home. I just gotta find him Megan. He needs to know that we all miss him."

"Just don't get over you're head, Don. I know you and your father and brother. It must run in the Eppes' blood 'cause you seem to attract trouble. Be careful."

"I will. Don't worry."

She hoped so, 'cause Alan Eppes would crumple if he lost both sons. It was bad enough not knowing where Charlie was. Whether he realized or not, everyone considered him a part of the team. The time Charlie spent here almost made him a bona fide agent. This was beyond her but she, David, Colby, and the rest of the team were going to make sure Don didn't get too obsessed in this. If Charlie got lost in numbers, his brother got lost in serial killers and family matters, not a good mix.

101010101010101010101010

_Back in Atlantis_

"This, is your new workspace. Your own private lab and per the delightful Colonel Sheppard's forcible request, you now have over half of the chalkboards, whiteboards, chalk, board erasers, and dry erase markers. I hope it's enough."

"For now. Thank you Rodney. This will do well. I have more space than my garage."

"Eh, what else am I going to do for the only other intelligent person in the city?"

The room was huge. He had a feeling that McKay had picked it out knowing that the project meant being bogged down quite a bit and therefore the need to move around was absolute. One corner revealed a cot with pillows and blankets already laid out. There were laptops situated on a nearby counter not far from the bed. Charlie was even lucky enough to have a balcony connected to the lab. Were they trying to promote complete focus on his work? He wouldn't complain though. For Charlie, the set up of the room gave the best possible lighting and a good view of the city out of the windows. It was the ultimate mathematician playground. Thinking twice, it felt more like going on his first roller coaster ride knowing how everything worked and yet the adrenaline feeling was beyond conventional equations.

"Here, we tend to live in our work. Don't be shocked at all when you find yourself sleeping in that cot or when Carson or one of his minions comes bearing a tray of food because they know you will refuse going to the mess hall short of a military escort. That by the way is rather annoying to us, and to the Marines. Anything else you can think of?"

"No. It's all perfect. I could hole up here for a very long time. Don't worry though, I still have to go offworld and change clothes so I'll get out sometimes."

"Good. We wouldn't want the powers that be on you anymore than they are on me."

Charlie laughed. He felt good. This was a dream come true for him. He had the ultimate math project to work on. The good thing was that once the algorithms and equations were finished it would only be a matter of simple adjustment and the same principles could be used on Earth to track criminals or suspected terrorists. Only one last thing was left on his mind, how were Don and his Dad? Charlie knew Don would be looking for him and he wouldn't put it past his brother to find him here. Don had that kind of determination. He just wouldn't think about his brother, rather he would work on bringing down the Wraith with a new weapon of prediction, numbers.

"I think this is worth it. But I have to agree on the powers that be in the forms of Beckett, Weir, and Sheppard. I really would hate to be you."

"We have some intelligence coming in from the alpha site for you. It's just a little something to get started off of. I assume you already have variables planned out in that math tinkering mind of yours."

"Yes. I have over 1,000 different variables planned. It never hurts for accuracy. The more I have the better I can pinpoint and predict the Wraith's actions. We need probability in our favor without having to worry about the classic Monty Hall problem."

"1,000 plus variables. I'm just glad it's you working on this little project and not me. I wouldn't have time with everything else I have going on. Sheppard wanted me to tell you that he has you on with us tomorrow going offworld. The briefing is at 0800, be there, on time. Let's just say it's not a good idea to be late."

"On time, right. I'll see you then. I'd really like to get started on this."

"Until then. Oh, and uh don't let any nincompoop know where this area is. I have my own secret lab a little ways away. It's nice to have your own space and no one else needs to know."

"Sure thing boss."

"See you later chum."

Charlie waved goodbye and tackled the whiteboard in front of him with equations bounding from his mind. He had a lot of work to do. The clock was ticking.


	3. Linking Time

Disclaimer: Don't SGA or Numb3rs and I really am glad I don't cause thinking of all the costs involved gives me a headache.

A/N- Yippee! This is my gift to all of you thanks to my Broncos' incredible win at the Fiesta Bowl. I can't sleep and almost threw up in the last minute and OT of the game from excitement and stress. Now before I go off to celebrate, please review, and I'm looking for a beta if anyone is interested.

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Charlie had slept the night through quietly anticipating the excitement of today. He was at the briefing an hour early ready to jump out of his skin. Elizabeth was in the conference room busying herself getting ready to make final calls on missions and assignments for then next few days. In the meantime, Charlie held a notebook in his hand continuing to work through preliminary equations. The more he thought of his work, the more he was determined to get it right even if the task looked impossible.

"Hey Charlie! I see you're early this morning. Good habit to get into." Remarked Sheppard as he walked in 15 minutes late with the rest of SGA-1 following.

"Don't worry about them. They," Elizabeth said pointing to Sheppard and McKay, "are always late and usually Ronon or Teyla has to track them down."

"That's not true. I get distracted by my work, which causes me to be fashionably truant, and I have no need for The Thing or Dark Angel to come get me for a simple briefing. Besides, if I didn't work where do you think you would all be? Oh right, you'd all be dead."

"There is no need to be defensive Rodney. We all know you're perfectly capable. Anyways, can we get back to the situation at hand?"

"Yes, yes, yes. We chose M6X – 9845 cause of the amazing potential technology that the Ancients supposedly left there. My hope is that we'll find something useful so I don't have to keep coming up with hat tricks all the time to save our sorry butts."

"And this," whispered John, "is what we willingly subject ourselves to."

Returning a slight nod, Charlie almost wanted to laugh. They weren't any worse than the people he already worked with back home. At least here he might have a moment of peace without his dad or brother trying to coddle him. He wouldn't have to worry about Amita thinking whether or not he was going to grow up. No more Colby calling him 'whiz kid' or Larry with his absurd and yet funny allegories, it was just himself to take care of his life with the support from his new colleagues. The rest of the briefing was only half listened to adding the occasional yes and uh huh to show he was paying some attention.

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_Los Angeles_

Colby Granger looked over the shoulder of his boss with a critical eye. Don had been pouring over a folder he had received through a contact for the last 10 hours straight. He hadn't made a budge from his desk. It didn't help that their case was nearly cold with yet another dead body, Airmen Louis Valdez, married leaving behind a pregnant widow and an 18-month-old son. At least they had a partial print this time.

"Did you find anything on Charlie?"

"Maybe. It's all vague and not a lot to go on. The file gives me a bunch of symbols, something that looks like a wormhole equation I saw on Larry's desk once, and the name Daniel."

"No last name," Colby asked shocked.

"No last name and I really am trying to piece this. It's just hard to put some strange symbols, an equation, and a first name together."

"But you said the equation looked familiar? Since when do you read Larry's physics journals?"

"Since I was bored and waiting for Megan to come out of hiding with her not so secret Fleinhardt boyfriend."

"Eureka."

"Eureka? What are you trying to tell me?"

"Think like you and Charlie usually do. If something looks familiar, go to the source."

"I get it. You're telling me to go back to Larry and try to find the name of who wrote the paper."

"Bingo. Now you have a lead."

Colby smiled and walked away thinking, _damn Charlie's rubbed off on me_.

"Hey Colby," Don shouted as he watched his agent leaving, "Thanks." All Don got in reply was a grin and glimmer of hope that he might find his little brother.

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Back in Atlantis 

The Gate was huge. Rodney couldn't help but still be in awe of it every time he saw it. It took more genius than he could count to invent the thing. And here it was a part of his everyday work in a galaxy that made Star Trek look puny when comparing doomsday threats. The sad part was that he was always making magic real by getting crazy ideas out of his head for good or bad. He didn't like talking about the bad ones.

Now he watched as a new colleague and likely new member of the team headed out with SGA-1 for his first offworld mission. If Charlie succeeded here he would be on with them or possibly Lorne's team.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As much as I'll ever be. I just hope I don't get sick"

"Don't worry. It's not too bad once you've gone through a few times. Try thinking more on your strategy to pull off this insane tracking equation of yours. It tends to distract from the possibility of vomiting. Trust me, I know."

Charlie stared at the Gate as it came to life. The amazing blue looked like the most gorgeous pool of water he had ever seen and yet that pool was going to take him light years away. The thoughts were staggering. Imagine all the probability of things that could go wrong and yet these people went through it without any doubts. Hang the second thoughts; it was time to go in. He took the last step and walked through the gate. The site he saw as the gate spit him out was fantastic and above him flew what looked like a Pterodactyl.


	4. Jack and the Dinosaurs

**Disclaimer: Don't own either Numb3rs or SGA. Never will 'cause I just don't have the time, money, or legal resources to try.**

_A/N- I had a really, really bad PC crash. It caused me to rewrite this chapter. So I'm very sorry this didn't get up sooner. I know my science may be off but I did it on purpose for plot device so don't kill me for it.__ It's fiction after all. Dinosaurs rock!  
_

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_Los Angeles_

Larry Fleinhardt stood at his office window looking at the crisp, smoggy LA sky. Today the weather was just bad. His mind had been more absent as of late. He had been taking up Charles's place as much as possible with the FBI. Between him and Amita, Don's cases got solved at almost the same rate as when Charles was working them. By taking on more work he had found himself forgetting things even more lately, something that Alan had taken to chiding him on.

Don stared at the absentminded professor trying just for one second to imagine what ran through his head. He still found that predicting Charlie was easier than Larry who was full of the oddest analogies and outlooks on life. Shaking his head, Don wrapped on the wall to pull the professor out of his morning meditation.

"Uh Larry," he called, " could you and I talk? I need you to look at something for me. It's about Charlie."

"I would do anything to find Charles. You are aware of that Don. How can I help you?"

"This Equation here. I think I saw it in one of your physics journals. I really need to know whose work it is."

"You saw this in one of my physics journals? Since when did you start reading about the intertwining of the universe on paper?"

"Since you and Megan started smooching behind curtains. Do you know who wrote the paper?"

"Yes. I believe it was Samantha Carter."

"Samantha Carter? You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't forget her work. She is a very intelligent woman and a leading researcher on astrophysics with the Air Force. I had the pleasure of meeting her once at a conference several years ago just before she started her blossom of rosy papers that have fundamentally changed the cosmos in astrophysics research and theory."

"Thanks Larry! This helps a lot. Now I just need to call in a favor. I'm sure we'll have Charlie back in no time or else I will be disappearing to fetch him."

"Good luck Don."

Don walked out happier than he had been in months. He knew just who to call for that favor. Jack O' Neill owed him big time for that satellite imagery cover up. It had been years since the initial problem that he fixed by bringing up a false case to cover those pictures some guy was going to dish out on. O' Neill had called on a rookie Don Eppes to make up something creative. It hadn't felt right but the payoff was huge and there was an eternal promise that Don could call in any favor that Jack might have the resources to do. That entanglement had been one of the hardest things in his career. It had been frustrating knowing he was covering up something big for national security and yet he had never known specifically what he covered up.

Don only hoped that Jack would be willing to give him access to Samantha Carter and what she was up to. He also wanted to know what the hell was so important that a rookie agent covered up and who this Daniel was in relation to this Carter person. A big smile overcame his face as he punched in a number he had waited years to call.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jack. It's Don…"

1010101010110101010101010

_M6X-9845 _

Charlie looked back at the flying creature. It was a Pterodactyl for sure. Did the Ancients find some way of bringing dinosaurs across the universe here? Well, there was always the egg option. M6X – 9845 was Jurassic Park! The ferns were huge and the trees made him feel like an ant. He walked slowly behind SGA-1 soaking in every sight. He was here to record things and get into the groove of traveling offworld. Despite hearing all about what planets had to offer, he still was amazed at the sight he was now seeing, dinosaurs and prehistoric plants in a tropical paradise.

"So what do you think Charlie?" Colonel Sheppard asked.

"This is amazing. That's a real dinosaur up there. These plants are something right out of a fossil dig."

"Yup."

"It's just breathtaking. I know a lot of paleontologists who would kill to see this. I'm telling you now that I never expected this."

"You'll get used to these kinds of things."

"No. I won't let myself. I'm a mathematician. I don't work with this stuff so I guess that seeing it is surprising and yet very fascinating. I'm sorry but now I'm hoping to find a trilobite. They are one of the most common fossils we see on Earth. To see a real one would be…would be well incredible."

"Yeah, dinosaurs for sure. Let's just hope we don't run in to T-Rex. But personally I wouldn't mind seeing Triceratops. Let's just hope that our friends the Ancients didn't decide to mutate these things and make 'em vicious."

"Do you always have to be so negative Rodney," replied Sheppard, "Because you always seem to be pessimist. Sometimes it feels like all of Atlantis has to be optimistic to make up for you."

"That's none of your business Colonel. Before you ask, I'm not finding any power signatures yet."

"We can at least look around. Perhaps we shall find more of your dinosaurs. Unless you two would prefer to continue to banter while the rest of us find them ourselves." Ronon looked amused.

"What is that?" Teyla pointed in the direction of a lake.

"Nessie! Let's be sure to bring Carson back here and hope it surfaces again," Charlie squealed.

Examination of the long neck appearing out of the lake quite resembled Nessie who is also known as the Loch Ness monster. From a scientific point of view, it was likely a Plesiosaur or at least that was the argument everyone made on Earth if they believed in Nessie. Otherwise it was just known as a really good fake. But here, that thing was definitely real.

"What does this Nessie have to do with Dr. Beckett?"

"Actually that's probably a Plesiosaur in the lake you see. Back on Earth in Scotland, where Beckett comes from, is a lake called Loch Ness. Loch Ness is most famous for its sea monster. But that has been subject to a lot of controversy as to whether or not it's real. A lot of people think it is a grand hoax and yet there are several thousands of recorded sightings of it. But since we have no actual specimen, it can't really be proven true."

"Do you believe that Nessie exists?"

"I'm a skeptic but hey they've been wrong about lots of other things."

"Look over there," came a shout from Sheppard.

"Huh. What is that?" Charlie stared very dumbfounded at what he saw.

"It's not something I recognize," McKay answered.

"That thing is ugly." Ronon stated.

The creature in front of them looked like a scaled zebra parrot with a lizard's head. It continued to eat without interruption despite the noise coming from the humans. Thankfully for SGA-1 it was an herbivore.

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard has never seen something so bizarre. It was no wonder that his grunts and geeks were gawking at the odd looking monster. It really was a hideous thing and yet it fascinated him from the strong difference in appearance to any other animal he had seen. "Take a picture and see if anyone knows what it is."

"Colonel, may I remind you that this could be native to Pegasus?"

"Don't hurt to try McKay. Besides, this planet seems to have a penchant for _Earth_ life. It's as if someone wanted to keep the past alive on another planet."

"Charlie, did you bring a camera?"

"I did and I just took a photo. So uh, what do we call this place?"

"I have a rule of no planet naming. People always come up with the worst names. But in this case I think we can just skip ahead and call it Jurassic Park."

"Of course Captain Obvious. What a shame we can't call it Monster Playhouse."

"You really think that's a good idea Rodney?"

"Is Jurassic Park the best you can come up with?"

"Fine. What do you three think?" Sheppard spoke as he turned to Teyla, Ronon, and Charlie.

10101010101010101010101010101010101010

_Los __Angeles _

Jack O'Neill sat in yet another office chair. His nerves racked his brain wondering just what Don Eppes wanted with Carter. The General had insisted on coming to see the Agent to get a face explanation. He honestly had no idea why the FBI would have any interest in Carter. When Don had mentioned Daniel in passing along with Carter, Jack knew something was up. Very few strangers could connect Samantha Carter with any Daniel. In the meantime, he had an Agent David Sinclair and another hot geek named Amita Ramoosh-a-something (or whatever it was) for entertainment. Sinclair was trying to get an understandable explanation over some new math from the smart girl that was being used in the current case. Eppes was conveniently at another crime scene leaving O'Neill to fend for himself in the office.

"So," he asked, "what does all this math stuff, squiggle writing have to do with solving a murder?"

"Everything!" both geek and agent shouted.

"Don't look at me. I'm just the grunt waiting for your boss."

"I'm sorry General O'Neill. It's just that this case has been extremely taxing. We have had no leads," Sinclair apologized.

"It's Jack. You are all over this thing with new stuff. Maybe you should try an old tactic or something unconventional. Is that a difficult thing for the FBI to do? I'll tell you from my experience that something simple a lot of times goes a long way."

"What would we try that we haven't done already?"

"Dogs. I've spent the last two hours reading through reports and I haven't read that you've tried using dogs."

"Dogs. Hmm…"

"And your crooks sounds like a bunch of arrogant bastards. I don't think they fled the crime scenes as quick as you think."

"How many do you think might be involved?" Amita questioned.

"I don't know. Common sense says that one guy can't pull off that many complicated murders unassisted like you oddballs have assumed. Yet, the crooks don't want too many people involved or word will leak and your plan goes down the tube. They might actually want to be caught. This is all about attention. Not some anti-government campaign. Trust me on that."

"You know I might just be able to come up with something different by changing the variables. Thank you sir."

"Its just Jack."

The exchange didn't last long before Don and the rest of his team walked through the door. Don looked surprised to see Jack there early since he couldn't ever be on time during the cover up.

"Hey guys, can you leave us alone?"

"Sure. Hey Don, this guy is good. We should have him around more often," said David.

Don looked slightly uncomfortable not having seen what was now General Jack O'Neill since his rookie year. He had hoped that Jack would simply fill the favor but from his behavior Don could tell that things were more complicated. He had tread on some personal and possibly dangerous ground.

"So… good at what?"

"I just gave him some suggestions for your case. But tell me why you need that info."

"Here," Don tossed the file he had received, "take a look. Look familiar?"

"Yes." Jack eyed cautiously.

"My brother disappeared some weeks ago. We haven't heard from him at all. No one has. This all went down after my office used a psychic name Samuel Kraft on a case. It really bugged my brother. Anyways, Kraft was part of a CIA program called Star Gate. I figured that Charlie started digging there using his clearance. It seemed logical so I decided to go the same route."

"Where did you get this?"

"A contact. He said he wouldn't be surprised if my brother got sucked into the 'black hole' as he called it. This was all he would give me. Are you going to help me or not?"

"That's all. Nothing else?"

"Nope, that's all he said. He gave me the file and then left."

Jack felt tied. On one hand he had a man anxiously looking for his brother. On the other he had a classified secret program to think about. He did vaguely recall a Charles something being sent to Atlantis on the last transport. What if that was Don Eppes's brother? The General saw that distress in the younger man's eyes and made a quick decision.

"I'm going to verbally make your security clearance higher. Understand?"

Agent Eppes nodded.

"Don, you have to swear on your life on pain of death that what I'm about to tell you never leaves this room…"

10101010101010101010101010101010101010101010

_Atlantis _

The mission had been uneventful. No one got hurt. Post mission exams were the greatest that SGA-1 had ever had, an event that led to Charlie being called the 'lucky charm' by Carson. Beckett encouraged Sheppard to take Charlie with him more often. And to that Sheppard did nothing but snort.

As to the naming of the planet, John tried to suggest Dinotopia after Teyla, Ronon, and Charlie had all decided that they liked Monster Playhouse better. But with neither of the Pegasus natives totally understanding Jurassic Park or Dinotopia, and Charlie not willing to change his vote, Monster Playhouse remained the winner. So it was that M6X-9845 was officially listed as none other than Monster Playhouse in the data banks. Something to which Weir giggled at and Sheppard gave a curt, 'nice going Rodney.' Rodney's response was that Sheppard got to name the puddle jumpers therefore his planet name stuck no matter how bad it was. The Lt Colonel had nothing further to say.

Also, an inquiry to the biologists led the team to believe that the odd monster they saw was indeed from Earth. It appeared to be _Falcarius utahensis _though not quite appearing like what artists had supposed it might look like. No feelings were hurt in this process. Everybody went home happy.

For all it was worth Charlie had never had a better day in his life. The view he was now seeing out his balcony did wonders to relax him further. It all seemed too good to be true. He could stay here forever. His self-imposed assignment had him living in Atlantis indefinitely compared to the one year he thought he might get out of it. But he was content here. Happy even. Tracking the Wraith was a task he decided was worth more than cognitive emergence theory any day. It would simply have to become something to work on in his free time. Free time was not something easily gotten in Atlantis but he would try.

"Penny for your thoughts," he heard Rodney say.

"Just admiring the view again. I still can't believe I'm here, in Atlantis, in another galaxy for goodness sakes."

"I understand. Every now and then I get that feeling too. It's not quite as incredible as it once was for me since I've gotten somewhat used to it. But when I think of what people are missing back on Earth. It makes the privilege of working here all the greater for me. It's an honor really."

"Yup. Do you ever miss Earth?"

"Sometimes. I miss some of the food and sights I remember there. That's what visiting is for. I wish I could go more often. You have to be an idiot not to think that some places like Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon are not natural wonders. And don't tell anyone I said this, but sometimes I miss even a bad smell from Earth because of the memories."

Charlie gave a chuckle. "My lips are sealed. Hey, you hungry? I think I need to grab a bite to eat."

"I'll come with you."

"Good. Let's go then." And off they went

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_Debriefing half hour later_

"So you didn't find any technology?" Elizabeth was beginning to wonder if there was any technology on 'Monster Playhouse' although it would be considered the newest hotspot for the expedition. She had let the reports leak out on purpose. The news of dinosaurs, Earth dinosaurs at that, had in fact reenergized the morale around here.

"No. We saw dinosaurs as you call them," Teyla replied.

"You know that planet may become a beta site. People are eager to see the dinos, civilian and military. Your pictures are amazing. But I'm not surprised at the reaction. Dinosaurs seem to be something that can attract the attention of anyone from Earth. They are almost magical and now we can see them, hear them, and study them in person."

"Yeah it's amazing isn't it? I wonder how the Ancients managed to get so many different species together in the same place?" Rodney was more thinking to himself out loud.

"I still have one question for you Rodney. Do you think we should bring in paleontologists or leave this to the biologists we have here?"

"We could bring in one that I know personally. I don't see a need for a whole new team. These dinosaurs are alive so I think our guys can handle it pretty well. As far as the paleontologist, ask for an Edgar Wilmington. If presented with evidence I know he'll come. He's easy to persuade."

"Good. Now John, what are the plans for your next trip there?"

"I was thinking we could take a puddle jumper to map out the planet. It would help us to determine some good sites for research complexes. And we could cover more ground. Take some pictures. Gather plant samples. I want to make sure that it's fully safe before we start sending research teams. This place is like a prehistoric Earth. I don't think anyone knows what to expect exactly. Better safe than sorry."

"I agree. Charlie, this may sound silly but Carson has asked that you tag along. Is that ok with you?"

"Fine by me."

"Ok then. You have another visit in two days. Rodney, take whatever is necessary to gather what you think your scientists will want samples of."

"Got it."

"Alright. You're dismissed."

As SGA-1 walked out Sheppard couldn't help but turn to Charlie. "Lucky charm. I might as well tell Elizabeth that Beckett practically ordered me to put you on my team. He thinks you just might bring us some stability. Something about you being cautious. What is it about you scientists?"

Charlie offered a grin. "Figure that for you own self. I didn't ask for anything and I wouldn't call myself lucky either. Don't worry about me. I've got a lot to work on."

"If you're going to tag along I might as well test your shooting skills."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"When are you available?"

"I'm available now and till seven tonight."

"Might as well go now I suppose."

"That's alright with me. Lead the way Shep."

Inwardly he was thinking about how much fun this would be. He wasn't a bad shot. His brother had taught him to shoot already. Going to the shooting range had been something that Charlie and Don had been able to do together. It didn't make him like guns any better but in the end it helped for being here. It was necessary to be able to protect yourself in Atlantis or you would become Wraith food. That was not the way he was going to die. His biggest challenge would be proving that he could shoot straight on the run or in the heat of battle. Charlie was going to prove that he could do just that.


End file.
